JCC of GW-Gateways Programs*

Director: Svetlana Danshes Assistant Director: Polina Vladimirsky

The Gateways program provides newcomers from the Former Soviet Union with a wide range of Jewish educational and cultural activities, and assistance in their transition to life in America and in the Washington Jewish community.

Throughout the year, Gateways offers a variety of programming for seniors, including celebrations of major Jewish holidays.

Twice a week, more than 100 adults attend English as a Second Language (ESL) classes and 30 adults focus on the citizenship preparation. In partnership with Baltimore City Community College, the Gateways program’s professional citizenship instructors give senior Russian-speaking adults the opportunity to learn more about the American Government, and prepare students for their civics test and citizenship interview.

Gateways workshops for ESL teachers and tutors, conducted twice a year, are available to any ESL teacher in the state of Maryland and are publicized by the Maryland Office for New Americans (MONA) and Montgomery Coalition for Adult Literacy and ESOL.

Citizenship workshops, which take place twice a year, assist eligible newcomers in completing the application process for US citizenship with the help of volunteer attorneys and representatives from USCIS. There is a strong relationship between Gateways and the United States Immigration Service.

Every year in May, Gateways has a celebration when Russian-speaking veterans gather with their families to commemorate the anniversary of the victory in World War II.

Location

6125 Montrose Road
Rockville, MD 20852